THE PREMIER AT TEMUKA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14359, 31 October 1908, Page 10

THE PREMIER AT TEMUKA

REPLY TO MR MASSEY,

(ran United Press Association.) . Tl'/Mt'KA, October 30. I'liu Prime Minister. accompanied In L;idj- Ward, arrived at Teimika by thi {lironjli express from Invcrrargili, ant immediately proceeded to the Drill Hall where lie addrrased imp of the largos and most public meetings era hold ill Tcniuka. his Nvoption bcin; most hearty, lie devilled mast, of thehvi and three-quarters hours during \\iliioli In spoilt! to replying to the open cnticisni of Mr Massey and Mr Allen." Whilo jvcoe.nisinw the right of both B ides lo pu (, views below the public', the l'rimc Mini? t,»r enid it was uiisoiuk>ly unfair to mat statements against the Government whirl had no foundation, in fact. Ho dealt seria tiin tlio lo planlw of the. Oppositin] platform. As to the restoration of pallia wicntajy control of the puljltc tinanoefi, In said 'lie had yet to team that Pnrliamen Jiad ever lost, control of it. Tho cPtnb lUhment of a, C'ivil Service 'Hoard woul< mean .the appointment of a. board of auto crats, over whom Mia. electors wouli have no control through their reprewnta tiVes. Reratdin K the proposal for settlinj Oimvn land miller the optional system he said tho only iinjiis not already opei under this Gotten' wore in golclfickfs dis tncts, laud tho Land for Settle ments Act-, n/ntl pastoral runs, while L.I,P tenants h/,d already the jrawor to acquir thei t frotf,ioW. Tlio settlement- of t<h Aative ifnnd question way proceeding apace u 6 . hindranqe to its progress boirti • thajr. from the Opposition. In advocatim • a > reduction of duties on the necessario *o£ life, til© Opposition was only suggestin! what tho Government had already done ■The immigration policy now boin< t-carried on was slow, yet effective, and 1 fit any tiinc Micro was any danger of th< J about market being swamped hv assists 'immigrants all that iiad to lie done wni •to-send a message to the High Commis ■ "Stoner to £lop assisting passages. H maiiiynlned that, the arbitration legisla t ion of last session: had done all that th tenth plank proposed. H </eprecatcil the kba of private entcrpris being interfered with, and said it wn foolish .011 tha part of IMi 1 IVTassoy to oon tinue his assertions that the prcean Ministry consisted of ainglo-taxers a-ni land nationaliscrs • in view of what tho; had said and. done. He denied M Massey s,. statement, that the Governmen -allowed votes for public works to' b transferred at will, quoting m support' th 1 üblic Revenues Act, which said tha moneys available in respect of any vot may be transferred to aid any other vot m the same class, provided that \hc tota voted eh-jJI not bo thereby exceeded, bu not otherwise. No vote, so far as he wa aware, had ever been transferred from om cliu» to another, or the original amouu cvoeeded. Ho mentioned that ho had tha ( «iy received a message from Natal statin; that tho Assembly had put a land am income tax bill through committee almos identical with tfte Now Zealand bill. B dealt with a number of other subjects Referring to tho second ballot, he quote tho remarks of Mr Massey at the gardei party at Pukehoe in, February, 1906, whei ho stated lie opposed the election of an; ■ candidate who was not a representativ' of a majority of the electons, yet he nov condemned the second ballot, designed t< secure this end. At hbo conclusion th Prime Minister was heartily applauded On. tho motion of Mr J. Talbot, chairmai of several South Canterbury local bodies the Prime Minister was accorded a heart; vote of thanks for his able address and : ■vote of confidence in the present Govern went was carried unanimously amid aj plautsa and cheers.